Tuesday, May 31, 2011

I finished reading “The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack” by Mark Hodder last night and found it to be the most entertaining book that I’ve read in a long time.

The winner of the 2010 Philip K. Dick Award, this 373-page book was published in September 2010 by Pyr Books and provides us with a highly entertaining explanation of the Spring Heeled Jack mystery.

For those of you unfamiliar with this English boogeyman, you’ll be interested to know that the first reported sighting of Spring Heeled Jack occurred in London in 1837 and sporadic reports have followed up to as late as 1997. Witnesses say that he can jump extraordinarily high and descriptions of his appearance vary widely from “devilish” to “gentlemanly.” For more information about this mysterious character, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_Heeled_Jack.

Aside from all that, I enjoyed the book for two more reasons. It introduced me to Sir Richard Francis Burton and the steampunk genre.

Prior to reading Hodder’s book, I’d never heard of Burton, who was a real life, larger than life character, widely known during his time as an accomplished author, cartographer, diplomat, explorer, fencer, geographer, linguist, poet, soldier, spy and translator. He reportedly spoke 29 languages and wrote (or translated) almost 50 books and hundreds of journal and magazine articles. He died in 1890. Look for more on Burton later this week.

As previously mention, “The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack” was also the first true “steampunk” book I’ve read (and now I’m hooked). For those of you unfamiliar with steampunk, it’s a genre of fiction that combines alternate history, science fiction and speculative fiction. Think “League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” meets “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” with healthy doses of Sherlock Holmes and Van Helsing tossed in. Again, look for more on steampunk later this week.

Those of you who have had the pleasure of reading “The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack” will be pleased to hear that this is the first book in a planned trilogy of novels staring Burton and Swinburne. The second installment, “The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man,” was released on March 22, and the third book, “Expedition to the Mountains of the Moon,” will be released on Nov. 22. If those two books are as good as the first, then readers are in for a treat.

In the end, how many of you have had the chance to read “The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack”? What did you think about it? What was your favorite part? Let us know in the comments section below.

Monday, May 30, 2011

Today is Memorial Day, a day that’s set aside for Americans to remember their war dead and the sacrifices that those service members made on the nation’s behalf.

With that in mind, I’m passing along today an outstanding recommended reading list that was compiled a few years ago by the U.S. Army Center for Military History. It’s called the U.S. Army Chief of Staff’s Professional Reading List.

According to the National Defense University Library, this list includes books that “will provoke critical thinking about professional soldiering and the unique role of land power; analysis and reflection on the past and the future; and a deep understanding of the Army and the future of the profession of arms in the 21st Century.”

I think civilians will benefit from the books on this list because they may better inform you about the nature of military service and the true cost of our nation’s defense.

Without further ado, here's the list in alphabetical order by title:

- 1776 by David McCullough- The AEF Way of War: The American Army and Combat in World War I by Mark E. Grotelueschen- American Military History, Vol. II: The United States Army in a Global Era, 1917-2003- America’s First Battles, 1776-1965, edited by Charles E. Heller and William A. Stofft- American Soldiers: Ground Combat in the World Wars, Korea and Vietnam by Peter S. Kindsvatter- An Army at Dawn: The War in Africa, 1942-1943 by Rick Atkinson- Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era by James McPherson- Battleground Iraq: Journal of a Company Commander by Todd S. Brown- The Black Regulars, 1866-1898 by William A. Dobak and Thomas D. Phillips- Cambridge Illustrated History of Warfare, edited by Geoffrey Parker- Centuries of Service: The U.S. Army, 1775-2005 by David W. Hogan Jr.- The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order by Samuel Huntington- Cobra II: The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq by Michael Gordon and Bernard Trainor - Company Commander by Charles B. MacDonald- Constitution of the United States- Counterinsurgency Warfare: Theory and Practice by David Galula- The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944 by Rick Atkinson- Defeat Into Victory: Battling Japan in Burma and India, 1942-45 by Viscount William Slim- Dereliction of Duty: Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Lies that Led to Vietnam by H.R. McMaster- The Dynamics of Military Revolution, 1300-2050, edited by MacGregor Knox and Williamson Murray- East of Chosin: Entrapment and Breakout in Korea, 1950 by Roy E. Appleman- Eisenhower: A Soldier’s Life by Carlo D’Este- The Face of Battle by John Keegan- For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War by James M. McPherson- The Forgotten Continent: The Battle for Latin America’s Soul by Michael Reid- George C. Marshall: Soldier-Statesman of the America Century by Mark A. Stoler- Knowing the Enemy: Jihadist Ideology and the War on Terror by Mary Habeck- The Landmark Thucydides: A Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian War, edited by Robert Strassler- The Limits of Air Power: The American Bombing of North Vietnam by Mark A. Clodfelter- Makers of Modern Strategy: From Machiavelli to the Nuclear Age, edited by Peter Paret- On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society by Dave Grossman- The Phillippine War, 1899-1902 by Brian McAllister Linn- Recruiting for Uncle Sam: Citizenship and Military Manpower Policy by David R. Segal- The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane- Savage Peace: Americans at War in the 1990s by Daniel Bolger- The Savage Wars of Peace: Small Wars and the Rise of American Power by Max Boot- Summons of the Trumpet: U.S.-Vietnam in Perspective by Dave R. Palmer- Supplying War: Logistics from Wallenstein to Patton by Martin Van Creveld- Supreme Command: Soldiers, Statesmen and Leadership in Wartime by Eliot A. Cohen- Thinking in Time: The Uses of History for Decision Makers by Richard E. Neustadt and Ernest May- U.S. Army Counterinsurgency and Contingency Operations Doctrine, 1942-1976 by Andrew Birtle- The U.S. Military Intervention in Panama: Origins, Planning and Crisis Management, June 1987-December 1989 by Lawrence A. Yates- Washington’s Crossing by David Fischer- We Were Soldiers Once… and Young by Harold G. Moore and Joseph L. Galloway

In the end, how many of these military books have you had a chance to read? Which did you like or dislike? Which would you recommend and why? Let us know in the comments section below.

Sunday, May 29, 2011

It’s Sunday, so that means that it’s time for my weekly review of this week’s Publishers Weekly Best-Seller List. According to the list, we’ve got two new books at the top of the four major best-seller lists this week.

"In the Garden of Beasts" by Erik Larson replaced "Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me" by Chelsea's Family, Friends & Other Victims as the top book on the hardcover nonfiction best-sellers list.

"Water for Elephants: A Novel" by Sara Gruen replaced "Worth Dying For" by Lee Child as the top book on the mass market paperback best-sellers list.

"Dead Reckoning" by Charlaine Harris retained its spot as the top book on the hardcover fiction best-sellers list.

"Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back" by Todd Burpo, Sonja Burpo, Colton Burpo and Lynn Vincent retained the No. 1 spot on the trade paperbacks best-sellers list.

There are three books on this week’s hardcover fiction best-sellers list that weren’t on the list last week. Those books (and their place on the list) are "The Jefferson Key" by Steve Berry (4), "The Final Storm" by Jeff Shaara (6) and "The Paris Wife" by Paula McLain (14).

There are four books on this week’s hardcover nonfiction best-sellers list that weren’t on the list last week. They include "Where's the Birth Certificate?" by Jerome Corsi (9), "Area 51" by Annie Jacobsen (11), "The Psychopath Test" by Jon Ronson (14) and "On China" by Henry Kissinger (15).

There are two books on this week’s mass market paperbacks best-sellers list that weren’t on that list last week. They include "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson (11) and "Naked Heat" by Richard Castle (14).

There is only one book on this week’s trade paperbacks list that wasn’t on the list last week - "The Passage" by Justin Cronin, which was No. 11 on this week’s list.

As a reminder, I’m posting these lists each Sunday because they, as a whole, represent a great, contemporary recommended reading list. These lists are initially released each week on Thursday, and if you’re interested in reading them then, visit Publishers Weekly’s Web site at www.publishersweekly.com. Below you’ll find all four of this week’s best-seller lists.

HARDCOVER FICTION1. "Dead Reckoning" by Charlaine Harris2. "10th Anniversary" by James Patterson, Maxine Paetro3. "Buried Prey" by John Sandford4. "The Jefferson Key" by Steve Berry5. "The Sixth Man" by David Baldacci6. "The Final Storm" by Jeff Shaara7. "The Land of Painted Caves: A Novel" by Jean M. Auel8. "Sixkill" by Robert B. Parker9. "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" by Stieg Larsson10. "Caleb's Crossing" by Geraldine Books11. "The Fifth Witness" by Michael Connelly12. "The Snowman" by Jo Nesbo13. "2030" by Albert Brooks14. "The Paris Wife" by Paula McLain15. "I'll Walk Alone" by Mary Higgins Clark

HARDCOVER NONFICTION1. "In the Garden of Beasts" by Erik Larson2. "The Dukan Diet" by Pierre Dukan3. "Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?" by Steven Tyler with David Dalton4. "Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me" by Chelsea's Family, Friends & Other Victims5. "The 17 Day Diet: A Doctor's Plan Design for Rapid Results" by Dr. Mike Moreno6. "Seal Team Six" by Howard E. Wasdin & Stephen Templin7. "Bossypants" by Tina Fey8. "Love Wins" by Rob Bell9. "Where's the Birth Certificate?" by Jerome Corsi10. "Place of Yes" by Bethenny Frankel with Eve Adamson11. "Area 51" by Annie Jacobsen12. "20 Years Younger" by Bob Greene13. "Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption" by Laura Hillenbrand14. "The Psychopath Test" by Jon Ronson15. "On China" by Henry Kissinger

MASS MARKET PAPERBACKS 1. "Water for Elephants: A Novel" by Sara Gruen2. "Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin3. "Worth Dying For" by Lee Child4. "Something Borrowed" by Emily Griffin5. "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin6. "The Search" by Nora Roberts7. "Storm Prey" by John Sandford8. "A Storm of Swords" by George R.R. Martin9. "Something Blue" by Emily Giffin10. "Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Objective" by Eric Van Lustbader11. "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson12. "Hannah's List" by Debbie Macomber13. "Dead in the Family" by Charlaine Harris14. "Naked Heat" by Richard Castle15. "A Feast for Crows" by George R.R. Martin

TRADE PAPERBACKS 1. "Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back" by Todd Burpo, Sonja Burpo, Colton Burpo and Lynn Vincent2. "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett3. "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot4. "Water for Elephants: A Novel" by Sara Gruen5. "Room" by Emma Donoghue6. "Life" by Keith Richards7. "Cutting for Stone" by Abraham Verghese8. "Something Borrowed" by Emily Griffin9. "A Visit from the Goon Squad" by Jennifer Egan10. "Empire of the Summer Moon" by S.C. Gwynne11. "The Passage" by Justin Cronin12. "Lone Survivor" by Marcus Luttrell13. "Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen" by Christopher McDougall14. "The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel" by Garth Stein15. "The 9th Judgment" by James Patterson

In the end, let me know if you’ve had a chance to read any of these books. What did you think about them? Which would you recommend? Let us know in the comments section below.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

The Oprah Winfrey Show aired its final episode on Wednesday after 25 years and 4,561 episodes.

I didn’t watch Oprah often, but I did follow the news about Oprah’s Book Club, which highlighted books selected by the famous host.

Oprah started the club in 1996, and it also ended its 15-year run on Wednesday. During that time, Oprah recommended 70 books, and today I give you a complete list of those books. Here they are in alphabetical order by title.

1. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy2. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner3. Back Roads by Tawni O’Dell4. The Best Way to Play by Bill Crosby5. Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen

6. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison7. The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton8. Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat 9. Cane River by Lalita Tademy10. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen

11. Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton12. Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende13. The Deep End of the Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard14. Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwarz15. East of Eden by John Steinbeck

21. The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck22. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens23. The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers24. The Heart of a Woman by May Angelou25. Here on Earth by Alice Hoffman

26. House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III27. Icy Sparks by Gwyn Hyman Rubio28. I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb29. Jewel by Bret Lott30. A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines

31. Light in August by William Faulkner32. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez33. A Map of the World by Jane Hamilton34. The Meanest Thing To Say by Bill Cosby35. The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography by Sidney Poitier

36. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides37. Midwives by Chris Bohjalian38. A Million Little Pieces by James Frey39. Mother of Pearl by Melinda Haynes40. A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle

41. Night by Elie Wiesel42. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez43. Open House by Elizabeth Berg44. Paradise by Toni Morrison45. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

46. The Pilot’s Wife by Anita Shreve47. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver48. The Rapture of Canaan by Sheri Reynolds49. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink50. River, Cross My Heart by Breena Clarke

51. The Road by Cormac McCarthy52. Say You’re One of Them by Uwem Akpan53. She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb54. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison55. Songs In Ordinary Time by Mary McGarry Morris

56. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner57. Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail by Malika Oufkir58. Stones from the River by Ursula Hegi59. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski60. Sula by Toni Morrison

61. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens62. Tara Road by Maeve Binchy63. The Treasure Hunt by Bill Crosby64. Vinegar Hill by A. Manette Ansay65. A Virtuous Woman by Kaye Gibbons

66. We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates67. What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day by Pearl Cleage68. Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts69. While I Was Gone by Sue Miller70. White Oleander by Janet Fitch

In the end, how many of these books have you had a chance to read? Which did you like or dislike? Which would you recommend and why? Let us know in the comments section below.

Friday, May 27, 2011

I finished reading a lengthy graphic novel last week that I’ve wanted to read for years, “From Hell” by writer Alan Moore and artist Eddie Campbell.

Originally published in serial format between 1991 and 1998, “From Hell” was later published in a trade paperback edition that’s an awesome 572 pages long. My edition is the fifth Top Shelf Printing from 2009, and it’s every bit of 1-1/2 inches thick.

Combining two of my favorite topics – Jack the Ripper and freemasonry, “From Hell” follows the premise of author Stephen Knight’s 1977 book, “Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution.” In his controversial book, Knight proposes the theory that the Jack the Ripper murders were actually a masonic plot to hide the birth of an illegitimate royal child fathered by Prince Albert Victor.

Those of you who haven’t read “JTR: The Final Solution” or “From Hell,” may be more familiar with all of this from having watched the 2001 film adaptation of “From Hell,” which starred Johnny Depp and Heather Graham.

Needless to say, there is a world of difference between the 122-minute movie and the 572-page graphic novel versions of “From Hell.” The print version is widely regarded as perhaps the finest graphic novel ever published, and it is a well-researched and impressive example of historical fiction. The graphic novel not only tells the story, but also offers a painstakingly accurate depiction of Victorian personalities, London geography, locales and street life.

Moore and Campbell drew on a wide variety of books and other sources while writing and drawing “From Hell,” and many of these works are referenced within the graphic novel’s story pages and within the highly interesting, 66-page-long appendix. Many of you will be familiar with some of these referenced works and what follows is a list of them that took several hours to compile. Here they are:

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Monday is Memorial Day, that is, the day that our country has set aside for citizens to pause and remember U.S. service members who died during military service.

All of us enjoy, and often take for granted, the freedoms that have been secured for us by members of the military, many of whom made the ultimate sacrifice on our behalves to protect our way of life.

A number of service members from Conecuh County have lost their lives during our nation’s wars, and local Navy retiree James Leon Windham has spent the past several years compiling a list of county residents who died during military service.

He sent me this somber list earlier this week, and I’m reprinting it here with his permission. Take a few minutes to read the names on this list and remember that these men were once living, breathing individuals, just like you, with a lot of life left in front of them. In the end, it was not to be because their lives were cut short in the service of our nation. Without further ado, here’s the list.

“Jeremy Merrills, 13, son of Mrs. Debra Merrills, 246 Riley St., Evergreen, received this Best Shooter Trophy for the ‘B’ team at Southern Normal High School, Brewton. He is in the seventh grade.”

39 YEARS AGOMAY 25, 1972

“Barbara Gantt won the first place trophy in the first Powder Puff race held at the Brooklyn Speedway recently. Her car was sponsored by Mrs. Bessie Cook, Standard Oil distributor, (Goldenaire Radial Tires) and Miller Trading Co. Keeping it a family affair, Barbara’s father, J.W. Coburn, won first place in the Spectator Class.”

54 YEARS AGOMAY 23, 1957

“In the first round of the Evergreen Golf Club Summer Tournament the Scramblers went ahead by three points after a number of close matches. The Scramblers were led by Elmo Grace, No. 5, and Joe Martin, No. 13, who gained nine points each for their team. Herman Bolden, No. 2, led the Hackers’ scoring with nine points.“In the only challenge match of the day, Bayne Petrey defeated Dr. Bill Turk to move up from No. 4 position to No. 3. Bonnie King was low scorer for the day with a one par, 73 for the 18 holes.“Bill McGehee was elected captain of the Scamblers, and Bonnie King was elected captain of the Hackers.”

“The Conecuh County Amateur League has been organized this year with six teams and league play began Sunday.“Two new teams are in the league this year, Castleberry and Evergreen. Garland, Buck Creek, Lyeffion and Paul played in the league last year.“In league opening games, Evergreen defeated Lyeffion, 8-3, and Paul took Castleberry, 4-2. The Buck Creek-Garland game was not reported.“Jumping off to an early advantage, Evergreen was never headed in the game against Lyeffion, scoring six runs in the first three innings.”

69 YEARS AGOMAY 28, 1942

“The Epworth League was delightfully entertained on last Friday night when Mrs. A.S.J. Nettles invited the members and a few guests to a lawn party at her home. After enjoying outdoor games and contests the hostess served light refreshments.”

“About 30 young people went to Pensacola by school bus Saturday for an outing. All went swimming at Bayview and after enjoying a picnic lunch they went on a tour of important places around Pensacola.”

84 YEARS AGOMAY 26, 1927

“Coach N.C. Henderson leaves Thursday for his home in Starkville, Miss. We are sorry Mr. Henderson is not coming back here next year. He has accepted a position with Investors Syndicate Co. and will be located in Texas.”

Those of you who watched the Atlanta Braves game Sunday night saw something that doesn’t happen every day.

Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif., began in an unusual fashion when Atlanta leadoff hitter Nate McLouth checked his swing on a low pitch in the dirt and strained a muscle in his left side.

The injury to the center fielder’s oblique muscle was so bad that another player (pinch hitter Diory Hernandez) had to be called in to finish McLouth’s at-bat.

Hernandez, who went in to play third base in the bottom of the first, inherited McLouth’s hit count (1-2) and ended up grounding out.

Of course, this situation got me to wondering about something. Hernandez entered the game and inherited two strikes and a ball from McLouth. Instead of grounding out, what if Hernandez had struck out. Would it have counted against him or McLouth in the official stats.

Interestingly, according to Major League Baseball rules, the strike out would have counted against McLouth.

“When a batter leaves the game with two strikes against him, and the substitute batter completes a strikeout, the official scorer shall charge the strikeout and the time at bat to the first batter,” the rules say. “If the substitute batter completes the turn at bat in any other manner, including a base on balls, the official scorer shall score the action as having been that of the substitute batter.”

Another question that came to mind is what do you do if a player is ejected for arguing balls and strikes with the umpire before he completes his at bat? Would the batter be out or would another player be called in to finish his at bat as in the situation with an injured batter.

As far as I could tell, this subject isn’t addressed in the official rules, but I suspect that another batter would be called in to finish the at bat. If any of you out there know for sure, call me and let me know. I’d be interested to hear the answer.

While researching the scenarios above, I also ran across an obscure rule that I’d never seen in print, that is, Rule 8.01, which discusses “Legal Pitching Delivery.” The rule reads as follows.

“A pitcher must indicate visually to the umpire-in-chief, the batter and any runners the hand with which he intends to pitch, which may be done by wearing his glove on the other hand while touching the pitcher’s plate. The pitcher is not permitted to pitch with the other hand until the batter is retired, the batter becomes a runner, the inning ends, the batter is substituted for by a pinch-hitter or the pitcher incurs an injury.”

Now comes the part that I’d never seen in print.

“In the event a pitcher switches pitching hands during an at-bat because he has suffered an injury, the pitcher may not, for the remainder of the game, pitch with the hand from which he has switched. The pitcher shall not be given the opportunity to throw any preparatory pitches after switching pitching hands.

Any change of pitching hands must be indicated clearly to the umpire-in-chief.”

This is all very interesting because I suspect that this rule was put into black and white for a good reason, and I suspect that it goes back to the early days of the game. I presume that this would prevent a pitcher from faking an injury to his nondominant hand in such a way that it would give him a competitive advantage over an otherwise unsuspecting batter.

If I could only watch one movie at the theatre this week, it would be “The Hangover Part II,” and if I had to pick just one DVD to rent this week, it would be “I Am Number Four.”

In the end, let me know if you get a chance to watch any of the new movies in theatres this week or if you’ve already seen any of the movies that have just been released on DVD. What did you think about them? Which would you recommend? Let us know in the comments section below.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

On Friday night, Britain’s Crime Writers Association announced the finalists in five of eight categories for this year’s Gold Dagger Awards, which are given annually to recognize the best in crime and thriller writing.

The shortlists announced on Friday included the finalists in the following categories – International, Nonfiction, Short Story, Debut Daggers and the Dagger in the Library. The other three categories – the Gold Dagger Award for Best Novel, the Ian Fleming Steel Award and the John Creasey Award for Best First Novel – will be announced on July 22.

The International Dagger Award is given to “crime, thriller, suspense or spy fiction novels which have been translated into English from their original language, for UK publication.”

This year’s finalists in that category include:- The Wings of the Sphinx by Andrea Camilleri- Needle in a Haystack by Ernesto Mallo- The Saint-Florentin Murders by Jean-Francois- Three Seconds by Anders Roslund & Borge Hellstrom- Rivers of Shadows by Valerio Varesi- An Uncertain Place by Fred Vargas- Death on a Galician Shore by Domingo Villar

The Gold Dagger Award for Nonfiction is open to “any nonfiction work on a real-life crime theme or closely-related subject by an author of any nationality, as long as the book was first published in the UK in English between June 1, 2010 and May 31, 2011.”

This year’s finalists in that category include:- The Invention of Murder by Judith Flanders- Slaughter on a Snowy Morn by Colin Evans- The Killer of Little Shepherds by Douglas Starr- In the Place of Justice by Wilbert Rideau- The Murder Room by Michael Capuzzo- Mr. Briggs by Kate Colquhoun

For read about the other finalists that were announced on Friday, visit http://thecwa.co.uk/daggers/2011/index.html.

Back on Feb. 22, I posted a complete list of all the books that have received a Gold Dagger Award for Best Novel. After Friday’s finalists were announced, I looked more closely at the books that have won over the years in the Best Nonfiction category. The name for this award has changed over the years and what follows is a complete list of the all-time nonfiction winners. Here they are:

The CWA Gold Dagger for Nonfiction:2010 – Aftermath: The Omagh Bombing & the Families’ Pursuit of Justice by Ruth Dudley Edward2009 – No Award2008 – Nationality: Wog – The Hounding of David Oluwale by Kester Aspden2007 – No Award2006 – The Dagenham Murder by Linda Rhodes, Lee Shelden and Kathryn Abnett2005 – On the Run by Gregg and Gina Hill2004 (tie) – Cosa Nostra by John Dickie and The Italian Boy by Sarah Wise2003 – Pointing from the Grave by Samantha Weinberg

The CWA Gold Dagger for Nonfiction:1994 – Criminal Shadows by David Canter1993 – Murder in the Heart by Alexandra Artley1992 – The Reckoning by Charles Nicholl1991 – Giordano Bruno and the Embassy Affair by John Bossy1990 – The Passing of Starr Faithfull by Jonathan Goodman1989 – A Gathering of Saints by Robert Lindsay1988 – The Secret Lives of Trebitsch Lincoln by Bernard Wasserstein1987 – Perfect Murder by Bernard Taylor and Stephen Knight1986 – Evil Angels by John Bryson1985 – Killing for Company by Brian Masters1984 – In God’s Name by David Yallop1983 – Double Dealer by Peter Watson1982 – Earth to Earth by John Cornwell1981 – Prisoner Without a Name, Cell Without a Number by Jacobo Timerman1980 – Conspiracy by Anthony Summers1979 – Rachman by Shirley Green1978 – The Mystery of the Princes by Audrey Williamson

The CWA Silver Dagger for Nonfiction:1979 – Fraud by Jon Connell and Douglas Sutherland1978 – The Capture of the Black Panther by Harry Hawkes

In the end, how many of these books have you had a chance to read? Which did you like or dislike? Which would you recommend and why? Let us know in the comments section below.

Monday, May 23, 2011

The Science Fiction Writers of American (SFWA) announced the winners of this year’s slate of Nebula Awards during an awards banquet Saturday night in Washington, D.C. and “Blackout/All Clear” by Connie Willis received the Nebula Award for Best Novel.

Interestingly, “Blackout/All Clear” is actually one novel that was released in two parts by Spectra Publishing. “Blackout” was the first part, released on Feb. 2, 2010, and “All Clear” was the second part, released on Oct. 19, 2010.

The other nominees for Best Novel this year included:- Native Star by M.K. Hobson- The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin- Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette- Echo by Jack McDevitt- Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor

The Nebula Awards, which are voted on by the SFWA’s membership and are given annually to recognize the best science fiction and fantasy fiction published in the U.S. during the previous year, were also given in three other categories, i.e., best novelette, best novella and best short story. There are also three special awards – the Andre Norton Award for Excellence in Science Fiction or Fantasy for Young Adults, the Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation and the Solstice Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Field.

This year’s Best Novella award went to “The Lady Who Plucked Red Flowers Beneath the Queen’s Window” by Rachel Swirsky.

The winner for Best Novelette went to “That Leviathan Whom Thou Hast Made” by Eric James Stone.

There was a time for Best Short Story with awards going to “Ponies” by Kij Johnson and “How Interesting: A Tiny Man” by Harlan Ellison.

The Ray Bradbury Award went to the movie “Inception,” and the Andre Norton Award went to “I Shall Wear Midnight” by Terry Pratchett.

This year’s Nebula for Best Novel is just one of many Sci-Fi awards that she has received over the years. By my count, she’s published 14 novels and six short story collections.

Her short story collections include:- Fire Watch (1984)- Impossible Things (1993)- Futures Imperfect (1996)- Even the Queen: And Other Short Stories (1998)- Miracle and Other Christmas Stories (1999)- The Winds of Marbel Arch and Other Stories: A Connie Willis Compendium (2007)

In the end, how many of the books mentioned above have you had a chance to read? Which did you like or dislike? Which would you recommend and why? Let us know in the comments section below.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

It’s Sunday, so that means that it’s time for my weekly review of this week’s Publishers Weekly Best-Seller List. According to the list, we’ve got one new book at the top of the four major best-seller lists this week.

"Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me" by Chelsea's Family, Friends & Other Victims replaced “Bossypants” by Tina Fey as the top book on the hardcover nonfiction best-sellers list.

"Dead Reckoning" by Charlaine Harris retained its spot as the top book on the hardcover fiction best-sellers list.

"Worth Dying For" by Lee Child remained the top book on the mass market paperback best-sellers list.

"Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back" by Todd Burpo, Sonja Burpo, Colton Burpo and Lynn Vincent retained the No. 1 spot on the trade paperbacks best-sellers list.

There are four books on this week’s hardcover fiction best-sellers list that weren’t on the list last week. Those books (and their place on the list) are "Buried Prey" by John Sandford (2), "Those in Peril" by Wilbur Smith (10), "The Snowman" by Jo Nesbo (11) and "2030" by Albert Brooks (14).

There are six books on this week’s hardcover nonfiction best-sellers list that weren’t on the list last week. They include "Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me" by Chelsea's Family, Friends & Other Victims (1), "In the Garden of Beasts" by Erik Larson (6), "Place of Yes" by Bethenny Frankel with Eve Adamson (9), "Seal Team Six" by Howard E. Wasdin & Stephen Templin (10), "Love Wins" by Rob Bell (13) and "Knowing Your Value" by Mika Brzezinski (14).

There are three books on this week’s mass market paperbacks best-sellers list that weren’t on that list last week. They include "The Lincoln Lawyer" by Michael Connelly (12), "Dead in the Family" by Charlaine Harris (14) and "A Feast for Crows" by George R.R. Martin (15).

There are four books on this week’s trade paperbacks list that weren’t on the list last week. They include "Life" by Keith Richards (6), "Room" by Emma Donoghue (12), "Empire of the Summer Moon" by S.C. Gwynne (13) and "Matterhorn" by Karl Marlantes (15).

As a reminder, I’m posting these lists each Sunday because they, as a whole, represent a great, contemporary recommended reading list. These lists are initially released each week on Thursday, and if you’re interested in reading them then, visit Publishers Weekly’s Web site at www.publishersweekly.com. Below you’ll find all four of this week’s best-seller lists.

HARDCOVER FICTION1. "Dead Reckoning" by Charlaine Harris2. "Buried Prey" by John Sandford3. "10th Anniversary" by James Patterson, Maxine Paetro4. "The Sixth Man" by David Baldacci5. "The Land of Painted Caves: A Novel" by Jean M. Auel6. "Sixkill" by Robert B. Parker7. "The Fifth Witness" by Michael Connelly8. "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" by Stieg Larsson9. "Caleb's Crossing" by Geraldine Books10. "Those in Peril" by Wilbur Smith11. "The Snowman" by Jo Nesbo12. "Bel Air Dead" by Stuart Woods13. "I'll Walk Alone" by Mary Higgins Clark14. "2030" by Albert Brooks15. "She Walks in Beauty" by Selected by Caroline Kennedy

HARDCOVER NONFICTION1. "Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me" by Chelsea's Family, Friends & Other Victims2. "The Dukan Diet" by Pierre Dukan3. "Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?" by Steven Tyler with David Dalton4. "Bossypants" by Tina Fey5. "The 17 Day Diet: A Doctor's Plan Design for Rapid Results" by Dr. Mike Moreno6. "In the Garden of Beasts" by Erik Larson7. "Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption" by Laura Hillenbrand8. "20 Years Younger" by Bob Greene9. "Place of Yes" by Bethenny Frankel with Eve Adamson10. "Seal Team Six" by Howard E. Wasdin & Stephen Templin11. "Stories I Only Tell My Friends" by Rob Lowe12. "If You Ask Me (and of Course You Won't)" by Betty White13. "Love Wins" by Rob Bell14. "Knowing Your Value" by Mika Brzezinski15. "The Heart and the Fist" by Eric Greitens

MASS MARKET PAPERBACKS 1. "Worth Dying For" by Lee Child2. "Water for Elephants: A Novel" by Sara Gruen3. "Storm Prey" by John Sandford4. "The Search" by Nora Roberts5. "Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin6. "Something Borrowed" by Emily Griffin7. "Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Objective" by Eric Van Lustbader8. "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin9. "A Storm of Swords" by George R.R. Martin10. "Something Blue" by Emily Giffin11. "Hannah's List" by Debbie Macomber12. "The Lincoln Lawyer" by Michael Connelly13. "Savage Nature" by Christine Feehan 14. "Dead in the Family" by Charlaine Harris15. "A Feast for Crows" by George R.R. Martin

TRADE PAPERBACKS 1. "Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back" by Todd Burpo, Sonja Burpo, Colton Burpo and Lynn Vincent2. "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett3. "Water for Elephants: A Novel" by Sara Gruen4. "Something Borrowed" by Emily Griffin5. "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot6. "Life" by Keith Richards7. "A Visit from the Goon Squad" by Jennifer Egan8. "Lone Survivor" by Marcus Luttrell9. "Cutting for Stone" by Abraham Verghese10. "The 9th Judgment" by James Patterson11. "The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel" by Garth Stein12. "Room" by Emma Donoghue13. "Empire of the Summer Moon" by S.C. Gwynne14. "Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen" by Christopher McDougall15. "Matterhorn" by Karl Marlantes

In the end, let me know if you’ve had a chance to read any of these books. What did you think about them? Which would you recommend? Let us know in the comments section below.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Eighty-six runners took part in the Ninth Annual Chickasaw Kiwanis Freedom Run 5K this morning in Chickasaw, Ala.

Mitchell Jones, 33, of Daphne finished first overall, crossing the finish line in 17:40.

Rhonda Collings, 41, of Theodore was the top female finisher, running the 3.1-mile course in 21:11.

(I ran the race in 25:25, that is, 8:11 per mile. Surprisingly, that was good enough for 24th place overall and second in my age group, males age 35-39. All I can say is that there must have been some snails in my group. Now I wish that I’d stuck around for the awards ceremony.)

Today’s race drew a sizeable crowd, especially when you consider the fact that we’re getting closer to the hot, humid summer months. Usually around this time of year, you see the number of runner and walkers at these events begin to taper off. Cities and towns represented in today’s race included Chickasaw, Chunchula, Daphne, Eight Mile, El Paso (Illinois), Excel, Grand Bay, Irvington, Mobile, Mon Luis Island, Pace (Fla.) Prichard, Saraland, Satsuma, Semmes, Silverhill, Theodore and Wilmer.

The racecourse was nice and flat with a few slight hills. The temperature was a pleasant 75 degrees at the race’s 8 a.m. pistol start. The starting line was in front of the Presbyterian Church on Grant Street. From there, runners ran toward Lee Street on Grant, past the library, then on to Second Street, then to Third Street and then on to Jackson Street. From there, it was on to Sutherland Street, left on Kansas Street, right on Spruce Drive, left on Iroquois Street, left on to Lee again and then left on to Grant for the big finish in front of the library and civic center.

As you might imagine for a race called the “Freedom Run 5K,” the race had a patriotic theme, and the opening ceremony featured four young Marines in their “dress blues,” who presented the colors after the opening prayer. According to members of the Chickasaw Kiwanis Club, today’s race was part of a fundraiser that has already collected over $26,000 in support of the local Children’s and Women’s Hospital.

This race has an interesting history. It was once a 10-K event and was first held on July 4, 2003 in support of service members in Iraq, Afghanistan and other foreign countries. Later, the distance was shortened to 6K, mainly due to hot weather, and the race date was moved back to the third week in May to coincide with Armed Forces Day. This made the Chickasaw Freedom Run the first ever 6-K event to be held in Alabama, and for a time, it was the only 6-K race in the entire state. Pictured above is the image from the 6th Annual Freedom Run, which was still a 6-K event. This year’s race t-shirt bears a similar image.

Overall, this was a fun race. It wasn’t too hot and everyone seemed to be having a good time. I hope that I’ll get a chance to run in it next year if my schedule allows.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Earlier this week, Tony Dungy’s “All Pro Dad” organization released its “Best Books for your Kids this Summer” list, and the list includes more than a few classic books for children.

Dungy prefaced the list by saying that, “Today, most of our country is aliterate—meaning we can read but choose not to. Reading enlarges a person’s heart, broadens his perspectives and sharpens his ability to think. And studies show the more you love reading as a father, the more your children will love it. So dads, hit the books, even if it’s only for 15 minutes a day. Summertime is the perfect time to start.

“Once your children feel confident and comfortable reading on their own, the two of you can read aloud – together. The following list is suitable for children ages eight and older. When the titles might be of particular interest to boys or girls specifically, (G) for girls and (B) for boys follows. If a title should be reserved for children of a certain age, the recommended age follows in parentheses.”

Books on Dungy’s list included the following titles:

ANNE FRANK: The Diary of a Young Girl (G) (12)

ANNE OF GREEN GABLES SERIES by Lucy Maud Montgomery (G)

BLACK BEAUTY by Anna Sewell

THE BORROWERS by Mary Norton

CHARLOTTE’S WEB by E. B. White

DANDELION WINE by Ray Bradbury (B) (11)

THE ENORMOUS EGG by Oliver Butterworth

THE HOBBIT by J.R.R. Tolkien

THE HUNDRED DRESSES by Eleanor Estes (G)

ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHINS by Scott O’Dell (G)

LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE SERIES by Laura Ingalls Wilder: Includes “Little House in the Big Woods,” “Little House on the Prairie,” “Farmer Boy,” “On the Banks of Plum Creek,” “By the Shores of Silver Lake,” “The Long Winter,” “Little Town on the Prairie,” “These Happy Golden Years” and “The First Four Years.”

LITTLE WOMEN by Louisa May Alcott (G)

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA by C.S. Lewis: Includes “The Magician's Nephew,” “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” “The Horse and His Boy,” “Prince Caspian,” “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,” “The Silver Chair” and “The Last Battle.”

RAISING DRAGONS by Bryan Davis

RED BADGE OF COURAGE by Stephen Crane

ROBINSON CRUSOE by Daniel Defoe

THE SECRET GARDEN by Frances Hodgson (G)

SARAH, PLAIN AND TALL by Patricia MacLachlan

TREASURE ISLAND by R.L.Stevenson (12)

20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA by Jules Verne

WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS by Wilson Rawls (B)

In the end, how many of these books have you had a chance to read? Which is your favorite? Which would you recommend and why? Let us know in the comments section below.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

This week, May 15-21, is National EMS Week, so if you’re out and about in town and run into one of our local paramedics, EMTs, ambulance drivers or fire and rescue emergency medical responders, give them a pat on the back and let them know how much you appreciate them.

Conecuh County is lucky to be served by the outstanding professionals at Conecuh County EMS, which provides first-rate emergency medical services to residents of the county and outlying areas. The county also has a number of emergency medical responders in local fire departments too, and this ensures that citizens will get quality emergency care when the fire departments are called to the scene.

It goes without saying that there are more than a few people alive today, who wouldn’t be here if not for a paramedic or EMT. Often what they do in the course of a regular work day, results in years of prolonged life for those who would have otherwise passed on if not for the advanced skills brought to bear by paramedics and EMTs.

With all that said, take the time to thank one of these folks today. Hopefully, you’ll never need one to help you, but if you do ever have to call the ambulance, you can rest assured they’ll be there to answer the call.

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Locus magazine announced Wednesday of last week the finalists for each category of the 2011 Locus Awards. For those of you unfamiliar with the Locus Awards, they are a prestigious slate of science fiction and fantasy literary awards presented to the winners of Locus magazine’s annual readers’ poll.

Arguably, the three most prominent categories include Best Science Fiction Novel, Best Fantasy Novel and Best First Novel.

The finalists for Best Science Fiction Novel include “Surface Detail” by Iain M. Banks, “Cryoburn” by Lois McMaster Bujold, “Zero History” by William Gibson, “The Dervish House” by Ian McDonadl and “Blackout/All Clear” by Connie Willis.

The finalists for Best First Novel include “The Loving Dead” by Amelia Beamer, “The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms” by N.K. Jemisin, “Shades of Milk and Honey” by Mary Robinette Kowal, “The Quantum Thief” by Hannu Rajaniemi and “How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe” by Charles Yu.

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Also this week, the good folks at the state tourism department released their list of top events to attend in June. They include “The Miracle Worker” play, Tuscumbia, June 3-July 19; “IndiVisible: African-Native American Lives in the Americas” exhibit, Montgomery, June 4-July 31; Vulcan’s Annual Birthday Bash, Birmingham, June 5; Stevenson Depot Days, Stevenson, June 9-12; 9-1-1 Festival, Haleyville, June 10-11; Gadsden Riverfest, Gadsden, June 10-11; Gulf Coast Hot-Air Balloon Festival, Foley, June 17-19; Alabama Blueberry Festival, Brewton, June 18; Chilton County Peach Festival, Clanton, June 18-25; and the Slocomb Tomato Festival, Slocomb, June 18.

For more information about these events and others visit www.alabama.travel.

“Sparta Awards: Johnson wins Peacock Trophy: Jeff Johnson was awarded the Jerry Peacock Trophy at the Sparta Quarterback Club’s annual All Sports Banquet held in the Sparta Academy Gymnatorium on Friday night, May 15. The trophy is given in memory of the late Jerry Peacock, an outstanding athlete and student at the school who died in a drowning tragedy shortly after his graduation. “Richard Nix won the coveted D.T. Stuart Jr. Sportsmanship Trophy and the football team elected Scott Baggett permanent captain of the 1980 team.“Other football awards went to the following: Hustler, Russ Raines; Best Defensive Player, Gaylen Griggers; and Best Blocker, Scott Baggett.“The basketball team elected Jeff Johnson permanent captain. Other awards were Best Rebounder, Terry Shipp; Best Defensive Player, Jeff Johnson; Hustler, Russ Raines; Field Goal Percentage, Terry Shipp, 47 percent; Free Throw Percentage, Terry Shipp, 67 percent.“Jeff Johnson was elected permanent captain of the baseball team, and the following awards were made: Best Defensive Player, Jeff Johnson; Hustler, Russ Raines; and Batting Champion, Joey Johnson, who hit .324.”

“Allen Padgett won first place in Pro Street at the Atmore Drag Way on Saturday night after finishing second the previous week.”

45 YEARS AGOMAY 19, 1966

“Swimming pool opens June 3rd: The swimming pool at Judson Murphy Recreation Center will open on Fri., June 3. This date was set by the Evergreen City Council at its meeting Tuesday night.“Coach Cliff Little of Evergreen High School has been employed as director of the city’s recreation program this summer.“The council voted to erect a chain link fence and gates across the front of the recreation center. This is being done to prevent further damage and abuse of the property. Recently, a pump was thrown into the wading pool and damaged.”

60 YEARS AGOMAY 17, 1951

“Bermuda Nine Defeats Shreve Eagles 10-5: The Bermuda Bears moves into a three-way tie for first place in the Conecuh Amateur League by winning their opening game with Shreve 10 to 5 Sunday afternoon. Errors paved the way for Shreve’s downfall.“Allen Till did the hurling for Bermuda. Shreve tried three hurlers, McIntyre, Lefty Gomillion and Ray Yancey. There were no outstanding hitters on either team.”

“Flat Rock Rockets Edge Loree 11 to 10: Third baseman Wheeler King, crossed the plate in the tenth inning to give the Flat Rock Rockets a 11-10 victory over the Loree Dollies in a Conecuh Amateur League game Sunday afternoon. The game was played at the Loree Field.“Three ninth-grade students, King, Roger Peacock and ‘Cotton’ Quinley played a big part in Flat Rock’s win. King scored the winning run. Peacock accounted for three tallies and Quinley two. Winston Bailey with three runs and Georgia Brown with two accounted for the other Rocket scores. “Pitchers Hubert Barlow and James Barlow worked for Flat Rock. Winston Bailey did the catching. The Loree battery was not listed in the report to The Courant.”

75 YEARS AGOMAY 21, 1936

“The Evergreen Merchants won their two games last week to keep pace with the leaders in the South Alabama League and to maintain their lead of one game over the Century-Flomaton combine.“Sweeping the series with Monroeville, winning two extra inning games, the local nine showed great power and fight and promise to be one of the fastest semi-pro nines ever to represent this city.“In the game with Monroeville Thursday after going through nine innings of fast ball to see the scored tied in the last half of this inning by the scrappy Monroeville sluggers, Evergreen struck back in their part of the tenth to make three runs and put the game on ice. In this frame, Kendall led off with a base hit to right, and Sam Jones dropped a Texas Leaguer over first sending Kendall to second. This set the stage for Tom Melton’s torrid smash down the left field foul line for a two-bagger and to score Kendall and Jones. Hall, next up, grounded sharply to short and went to first, Melton scoring on the play ended Evergreen’s scoring but the Monroeville nine came back to make two runs in the latter frame of the tenth, and put the tying run on second when the last batter flied out to Seabrooks at second.”

Sports fans in the reading audience looking for a good book to read might want to check out “Play Like You Mean It” by New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan and former Sports Illustrated editor Don Yaeger.

This book, which was released on May 3, made Publishers Weekly’s hardcover non-fiction best-seller list last Thursday and will likely climb the list as more fans buy copies of the book.

Auburn fans should also be on the look out for “All In: What It Takes to Be the Best” by Auburn head coach Gene Chizik and David Thomas.

According to Amazon.com, this book, which will be released on July 5, “chronicles the remarkable journey of Gene Chizik, who in two short years went from being the much-maligned 5–19 coach of the Iowa State Cyclones to the undefeated, AP SEC Coach of the Year of the 2010 national champion Auburn Tigers.”

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The NBA is a little closer this week to having a new world champion as four teams duke it out in the conference finals round of the playoffs.

The Chicago Bulls and the Miami Heat are battling it out for the Eastern Conference championship, and the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Dallas Mavericks are squaring off for the Western Conference title. The winners of these two best-of-seven series will play each other for the NBA title in the next round of the playoffs.

Out of the teams that are left, I look for Chicago and Dallas to make it to the finals with Chicago winning it all. Of course, you can take this for what it’s worth, because I never thought the Lakers and the Celtics would be out of it at this point.

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The NBA Draft Lottery was held Tuesday night, which set the order for the draft to be held on June 23 in Newark, N.J.

Basketball fans in Conecuh County will have an extra reason to watch the draft this year as Evergreen native Chris Hines, who has starred at the University of Alabama the past two seasons, will be in the mix of players eligible for selection.

Unlike the NFL draft, the NBA draft only consists of two rounds in which 60 players are selected. With that said, most mock drafts don’t have Hines being drafted. Of course, mock drafts are known to be wrong, especially since “media experts” select most of them.

Those of us at The Courant would love to see Hines make a pro team. He represented the county well at Alabama, and we’d like nothing more than to see him take the court for an NBA team.

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The Atlanta Braves have picked up the pace during the past week, having won three in a row and six of their last 10 as of Tuesday morning. They’re 24-19 overall and 2-1/2 games out of first place in the National League East standings. This week, they’re out of the West Coast, taking on the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Los Angeles Angels. From there, they’ll travel to Pittsburgh, but they’ll be back in Atlanta next Friday for a couple of series against Cincinnati and San Diego.

If I could only watch one movie at the theatre this week, it would be “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” and if I had to pick just one DVD to rent this week, it would be “The Rite.”

In the end, let me know if you get a chance to watch any of the new movies in theatres this week or if you’ve already seen any of the movies that have just been released on DVD. What did you think about them? Which would you recommend? Let us know in the comments section below.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

A couple of days ago, I finally got around to watching the 2008 horror film, “The Strangers,” and I have no problem ranking it among the creepiest movies that I’ve ever seen.

Released in May 2008, “The Strangers” is about a boyfriend-girlfriend couple that is spending the night in an isolated farmhouse after a wedding reception. Late that night, around 4 a.m., there’s a knock at the front door and things go down hill fast from there.

They answer the door to find a young woman who asks if a girl named “Tamara” is home. When the couple tells her that she has the wrong house, she leaves only to come back later with a couple of friends, and they’re all wearing extremely creepy masks. They proceed to terrorize the couple on into the next day before a pair of young boys on bikes find the farm house’s front door wide open.

Liv Tyler, the daughter of Aerosmith vocalist Steven Tyler, is the movie’s main character and many of you will be familiar with her from her appearances in such films as “Armageddon” and “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy.

Many of you will also be familiar with Glenn Howerton, who is a former Montgomery, Ala. resident and graduate of Jefferson Davis High School in Montgomery. He is best known as Dennis Reynolds on the TV show, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.”

Marketed as having been inspired by true events, “The Strangers” was a huge financial success. Shot on a budge of $9 million, the movie went on to post gross revenues of $82.3 million.

Based on what I’ve read, this movie was inspired by at least two separate “true events.” Bertino admitted in a 2008 interview that the movie was partly based on an experience he had as a child in which a group of strangers knocked on the door of his family’s isolated home when his parents were out. His sister answered the door, and the strangers asked for someone who wasn’t there. They left, but the next day they learned that the group had been going around to houses and breaking into those where no one opened the door.

Bertino was also inspired by the best-selling true crime book, “Helter Skelter” by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry. “Helter Skelter” was published in 1974 and details the 1969 Manson Family murders and the ensuing prosecution of Charles Manson and his accomplices by Bugliosi.

“The Strangers” definitely ranks high on my list of the creepiest movies I’ve ever seen. It will have you looking over your shoulder and you won’t want to watch it alone in a dark room. You’ll probably also find yourself checking the locks on all your windows and doors a little more closely before you go to bed, and you’ll definitely approach the door a little more cautiously the next time someone comes knocking unexpectedly after the sun goes down.

In the end, how many of you have seen this movie? What did you think about it? What was your favorite part? What would you have done had you been in the victims’ shoes? Let us know in the comments section below.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

It’s Sunday, so that means that it’s time for my weekly review of this week’s Publishers Weekly Best-Seller List. According to the list, we’ve got two new books at the top of the four major best-seller lists this week.

"Dead Reckoning" by Charlaine Harris replaced "The Sixth Man" by David Baldacci as the top book on the hardcover fiction best-sellers list.

"Worth Dying For" by Lee Child replaced "Water for Elephants: A Novel" by Sara Gruen as the top book on the mass market paperback best-sellers list.

"Bossypants" by Tina Fey retained the top spot on the hardcover nonfiction best-sellers list.

"Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back" by Todd Burpo, Sonja Burpo, Colton Burpo and Lynn Vincent retained the No. 1 spot on the trade paperbacks best-sellers list.

There are five books on this week’s hardcover fiction best-sellers list that weren’t on the list last week. Those books (and their place on the list) are "Dead Reckoning" by Charlaine Harris (1), "10th Anniversary" by James Patterson, Maxine Paetro (2), "Sixkill" by Robert B. Parker (4), "Caleb's Crossing" by Geraldine Books (10) and "If You Were Here" by Jen Lancaster (15).

There are nine books on this week’s hardcover nonfiction best-sellers list that weren’t on the list last week. They include "Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?" by Steven Tyler with David Dalton (2), "If You Ask Me (and of Course You Won't)" by Betty White (3), "From This Moment On" by Shania Twain (6), "Guy Fieri Food" by Guy Fieri (9), "A Singular Woman" by Janny Scott (10), "The Heart and the Fist" by Eric Greitens (11), "My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business" by Dick Van Dyke (13), "Get Rich Click!" by Marc Ostrofsky (14) and "Play Like You Mean It" by Rex Ryan with Don Yaeger (15).

There are four books on this week’s mass market paperbacks best-sellers list that weren’t on that list last week. They include "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin (10), "A Storm of Swords" by George R.R. Martin (12), "One Magic Moment" by Lynn Kurland (14) and "Something Blue" by Emily Giffin (15).

There are four books on this week’s trade paperbacks list that weren’t on the list last week. They include "Lone Survivor" by Marcus Luttrell (6), "Medium Raw" by Anthony Bourdain (12), "The Postmistress" by Sarah Blake (14) and "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet" by Jamie Ford (15).

As a reminder, I’m posting these lists each Sunday because they, as a whole, represent a great, contemporary recommended reading list. These lists are initially released each week on Thursday, and if you’re interested in reading them then, visit Publishers Weekly’s Web site at www.publishersweekly.com. Below you’ll find all four of this week’s best-seller lists.

HARDCOVER FICTION1. "Dead Reckoning" by Charlaine Harris2. "10th Anniversary" by James Patterson, Maxine Paetro3. "The Sixth Man" by David Baldacci4. "Sixkill" by Robert B. Parker5. "The Land of Painted Caves: A Novel" by Jean M. Auel6. "I'll Walk Alone" by Mary Higgins Clark7. "The Fifth Witness" by Michael Connelly8. "Chasing Fire" by Nora Roberts9. "A Turn in the Road" by Debbie Macomber10. "Caleb's Crossing" by Geraldine Books11. "She Walks in Beauty" by Selected by Caroline Kennedy12. "Bel Air Dead" by Stuart Woods13. "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" by Stieg Larsson14. "Save Me" by Lisa Scottoline15. "If You Were Here" by Jen Lancaster

HARDCOVER NONFICTION1. "Bossypants" by Tina Fey2. "Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?" by Steven Tyler with David Dalton3. "If You Ask Me (and of Course You Won't)" by Betty White4. "The Dukan Diet" by Pierre Dukan5. "Stories I Only Tell My Friends" by Rob Lowe6. "From This Moment On" by Shania Twain7. "The 17 Day Diet: A Doctor's Plan Design for Rapid Results" by Dr. Mike Moreno8. "20 Years Younger" by Bob Greene9. "Guy Fieri Food" by Guy Fieri10. "A Singular Woman" by Janny Scott11. "The Heart and the Fist" by Eric Greitens12. "Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption" by Laura Hillenbrand13. "My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business" by Dick Van Dyke14. "Get Rich Click!" by Marc Ostrofsky15. "Play Like You Mean It" by Rex Ryan with Don Yaeger

TRADE PAPERBACKS 1. "Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back" by Todd Burpo, Sonja Burpo, Colton Burpo and Lynn Vincent2. "Water for Elephants: A Novel" by Sara Gruen 3. "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett4. "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot5. "A Visit from the Goon Squad" by Jennifer Egan 6. "Lone Survivor" by Marcus Luttrell7. "Something Borrowed" by Emily Griffin8. "Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen" by Christopher McDougall9. "Cutting for Stone" by Abraham Verghese10. "The 9th Judgment" by James Patterson11. "Inside of a Dog" by Alexandra Horowitz12. "Medium Raw" by Anthony Bourdain13. "The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel" by Garth Stein14. "The Postmistress" by Sarah Blake15. "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet" by Jamie Ford

In the end, let me know if you’ve had a chance to read any of these books. What did you think about them? Which would you recommend? Let us know in the comments section below.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

I recently finished reading an excellent old book on freemasonry called “The Symbolism of Freemasonry” by Dr. Albert G. Mackey, 33°, pictured at right.

Published in 1882, this book, which is considered a fundamental work on the subject of freemasonry, seeks to illustrate and explain freemasonry’s “science and philosophy, its legends, myths and symbols.” I found the book extremely interesting and will likely read it again some day.

I downloaded a free copy of the book off Project Gutenberg’s Web site at http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/11937 for my e-reader, and you’ll probably still find it there in multiple formats today.

Topics in the book include discussions of the Noachidae, primitive freemasonry in antiquity, spurious freemasonry in antiquity, the union of speculative and operative masonry at the Temple of Solomon, the traveling freemasons of the middle ages, the symbolism of Solomon’s Temple, the symbolism of the cornerstone, the legends of freemasonry and many others.

Unlike many books on freemasonry, this 130-year-old book was written by a well-known scholar (of his day) as well as a member of the Masonic fraternity. Mackey, who died in 1881, was a medical doctor, who is still best known for his books about freemasonry. He was a Grand Lecturer and Grand Secretary of The Grand Lodge of South Carolina and Secretary General of the Supreme Council of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States.

Mackey wrote a number of books during his life and all most all of them dealt with freemasonry. What follows is a list of his books (and, where possible, the year that each was published):

- Ancient Ceremonies of the Masonic Order- Book of the Chapter or Monitorial Instructions in the Degrees of Mark, Past and Most Excellent Master - Customs of the German Stonemasons- Dionysiac Artificers- The Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, Vol. I (1873)- The Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, Vol. II (1878)- Famous Legends of Freemasonry- Freemasonry and the Ancient Mysteries- General Regulations of Freemasonry- The History of Freemasonry: Its Legends and Traditions (1906)- An Introduction to the Symbolism of Freemasonry- Jurisprudence of Freemasonry- Legend of the Third Masonic Degree- A Lexicon of Freemasonry (1845)- A Manual of the Lodge- Mystic Tie- The Principles of Masonic Law (1856)- The Symbolism of Freemasonry (1882)- A Textbook of Masonic Jurisprudence

In the end, how many of these books have you had a chance to read? What did you think of them? Which did you like or dislike? Which would your recommend and why? Let us know in the comments section below.

The finalists for this year’s Best First Novel include:- “The Loving Dead” by Amelia Beamer- “The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms” by N.K. Jemisin- “Shades of Milk and Honey” by Mary Robinette Kowal- “The Quantum Thief” by Hannu Rajaniemi- “How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe” by Charles Yu

The finalists for Best Nonfiction include:- “80! Memories & Reflections on Ursula K. Le Guin” by Karen Joy Folwer and Debbie Notkin- “Conversations with Octavia Butler” by Conseula Francis- “Robert A. Heinlein: In Dialogue with His Century: Volumne 1: 1907-1948: Learning Curve” by William H. Patterson Jr. - “CM Kornbluth: The Life and Works of a Science Fiction Visionary” by Mark Rich- “Bearings: Reviews 1997-2001” by Gary K. Wolfe

Looking back, I notice that I’ve never posted a list of the all-time winners of the Locus Award for Best Novel. The award was first presented in 1971, and in 1980 the award was split into two awards, one for Best Science Fiction Novel and another for Best Fantasy Novel. The all-time winners are as follows:

Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel:1980 – Titan by John Varley1981 – The Snow Queen by Joan D. Vinge1982 – The Many Colored Land by Julian May1983 – Foundation’s Edge by Isaac Asimov1984 – Startide Rising by David Brin1985 – The Integral Trees by Larry Niven1986 – The Postman by David Brin1987 – Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card1988 – The Uplift War by David Brin1989 – Cyteen by C.J. Cherryh1990 – Hyperion by Dan Simmons1991 – The Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons1992 – Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold1993 – Doomsday Book by Connie Willis1994 – Green Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson1995 – Mirror Dance by Lois McMaster Bujold1996 – The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson1997 – Blue Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson1998 – The Rise of Endymion by Dan Simmons1999 – To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis2000 – Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson2001 – The Telling by Ursula K. Le Guin2002 – Passage by Connie Willis2003 – The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson2004 – Ilium by Dan Simmons2005 – The Baroque Cycle (i.e. Quicksilver, The Confusion, The System of the World) by Neal Stephenson2006 – Accelerando by Charles Stross2007 – Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge2008 – The Yiddish Policemen’s Union by Michael Chabon2009 – Anathem by Neal Stephenson2010 – Boneshaker by Cherie Priest

Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel:1978 – The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkein1979 – No Award1980 – Harpist in the Wind by Patricia A. McKillip1981 – Lord Valentine’s Castle by Robert Silverberg1982 – The Claw of the Conciliator by Gene Wolfe1983 – The Sword of the Lictor by Gene Wolfe1984 – The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley1985 – Job: A Comedy of Justice by Robert A. Heinlein1986 – Trumps of Doom by Roger Zelazny1987 – Soldier of the Mist by Gene Wolfe1988 – Seventh Son by Orson Scott Card1989 – Red Prophet by Orson Scott Card1990 – Prentice Alvin by Orson Scott Card1991 – Tehanu: The Last Book of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin1992 – Beauty by Sheri S. Tepper1993 – Last Call by Tim Powers1994 – The Innkeeper’s Song by Peter S. Beagle1995 – Brittle Innings by Michael Bishop1996 – Alvin Journeyman by Orson Scott Card1997 – A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin1998 – Earthquake Weather by Tim Powers1999 – A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin2000 – Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling2001 – A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin2002 – American Gods by Neil Gaiman2003 – The Scar by China Mieville2004 – Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold2005 – Iron Council by China Mieville2006 – Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman2007 – The Privilege of the Sword by Ellen Kushner2008 – Making Money by Terry Pratchett2009 – Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin2010 – The City & the City by China Mieville

While I’m at it, I might as well post a list of the all-time Best First Novel winners. That award was first given out in 1981. The all-time winners are as follows:

While researching this post, I also ran across the fact that Locus once gave an award for Best Horror/Dark Fantasy Novel. They did so from 1989 to 1999. The all-time winners in that category were as follows.

Locus Award for Best Horror/Dark Fantasy Novel1999 – Bag of Bones by Stephen King1998 – No Award1997 – Desperation by Stephen King1996 – Expiration Date by Tim Powers1995 – Fires of Eden by Dan Simmons1994 – The Golden by Lucius Shepard1993 – Children of the Night by Dan Simmons1992 – Summer of the Night by Dan Simmons1991 – The Witching Hour by Anne Rice1990 – Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons 1989 – Those Who Hunt the Night (Immortal Blood) by Barbara Hambly

For more information about the Locus Awards, visit http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Locus.html.

In the end, how many of the books mentioned above have you read? Which did you like or dislike? Which would you recommend and why? Let us know in the comments section below.